This invention relates to shavers, and in particular to electric shavers including blades that, while rotating around their own centers, also orbit around another axis, thus sweeping a large area.
It is known that facial hair does not grow perpendicularly. The typical angle between the axis of a hair and the surface of a face is between 30 and 60 degrees. To achieve the cleanest shaving, it is therefore necessary to move a shaver in different directions. Hair is best cut exactly against the direction of growth, which is substantially random. Therefore, any linear movement of a blade will not give the best cut for each and every hair, and an average result is achieved after shaving with modern razor or electric shaver. Some hairs are cut in the best direction and some are not. Typically, modern electric shavers have blades that move in a simple rotary path or linearly in a reciprocating manner. At a given location on a razor head, the movement of a blade is always in the same direction, or, in the best case, in two opposite directions. Although a user can compensate by manually varying the shaving pattern, this is a largely habitual action that does not necessarily provide a satisfactory remedy. Further, the actual cutting area on a typical shaver head is relatively small, and some areas of the face may not have as much exposure to the blades as other areas. There is a need to provide a shaving system that addresses these disadvantages.
Furthermore, experience with straight razors indicates that skin stretching leads to cleaner shaving. Stretching the skin makes it xe2x80x9cthinnerxe2x80x9d and a greater length of hair is pushed out of the skin. Once stretched skin relaxes after being shaved with a straight razor, the remaining stub recedes beneath the surface of the skin and becomes effectively invisible. By contrast, after being shaved with a current electric shaver, the best result nevertheless leaves a hair stub as high as thickness of screen. Stretching of the skin in the process of electric shaver shaving would be advantageous.
The invention provides an electric shaver in which a much greater area of the shaving head than hitherto is an active shaving area.
It further provides that the movement of the blades follows a more complex path than hitherto.
It further provides that adjoining blades are configured and driven so that they sweep overlapping areas. All of these features make it more likely that a blade will meet an individual hair from an appropriate direction.
The invention further provides an electric shaver that can stretch the skin, thus providing a cleaner shave than heretofore. The skin may be stretched by contouring the shaving head appropriately, or by providing a reduced air pressure within the shaving head.
Further, the invention provides that the shaving head may optionally be structured to replace a conventional shaving head on an existing shaver.
Finally, the invention provides that a shaver may be separated from its source of power. In such a divided system, a shaving head may be coupled to a stationary source of power such as might be provided in a car, in private quarters, or in a public washroom in a hotel, a restaurant, an office building, an aircraft, a train, an ocean liner or other building or vehicle. Such a shaving head can be inexpensive and intended for a small number of uses.